New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-14
BROOKLYN RAPID TRANSIT.
WORK ON NEW ELEVATED RAILROADS.

Remarkable activity prevails at present In the
buiIdinp of elevated railroads In Brooklyn, where
raid transit has been fondly hoped for-but not seen
for ten or dozen years when tho elevated system
I'm this city fairly under way, Capitalists loohou
to Brooklyn as a promising fold for the same form
Of railroad enterprise AZ long ago As 1879 tho
Brooklyn Elevated Railroad Company was organized
under tho General Railroad Law Of the Stale. Ihere
was so much opposition TO taking tUtOn-sI for the
route Of the road that il was decided to go by rs
GirecV course possible In other streets iroh
Fnl.on Ferry and the Bridge to East New-York.
AS adopted the route had no less than eight curves
In passing from street to another at right angles.
Two Of these wore afterWard done away with In tho
upper part of tho road.
W. Fontainc BruG was Tie leading spirit In the
corporation, and no made an unsuccessful eiroft 10
enlist tho support of English capital work was
begun speedily: and largo number OF tho granlte
pedesfals for the pillars had ben placed In position
when financial difficulties net, and long deiaS
followed Finally a number Of wealthy men were
Induced to aid In the reorganization OF the company
tho BruR interest was eliminated, and the work OF
construction was completed
For upward Of three years tho road has Deon III
ope alton and 1t now carries about 10000 people
4 dav But 1t HIS the disadvantage OF harvesting an
out-otthe-way portion of Tho city ana has no fadiat-
ing llnes To feed it. while It's connection with uho
Bridso Is awkwarA and uDhandy. Az tho company
WIS chartered boiorc tho special legislation governing
tie Lying out Oh rapid transit roals was adopted' IL
never had any difficulties about its main route; but an
effort to build spur in Myrlo@ve TO tae Ciy hah
was ehectually stopped by Injunction
Al the tlno The Bruf road was ON the high ud'
OF Success another corporation was formed under tho
nan,e OF the Kings County Elevated Railroad Com-
pany, also known rs the Bond road from the name
Of It's chief promoter Judge Bond, OF Boston ~
was organized under Mayors commission, appolheu
ia 1879 by James Howell then the chief executive
laid g,,t
principal streets of tho city. grdiron Of railroad
tracks was marked out on the map Of tho munich
paty the trunk limo being in Fllton-st.
Hans for the structure were made and In Leu OF
the consent Of property -owners, who then 'chaclosV
opposed the giving mp OF tbe CHIEF thoroshiale u
rapid transit, q supreme Court commission WIS
appointed to decide the mater. This COMMISSION
reported favorably In regard to most OF tho routes
but the company received a crushing blow when the
court refused to confirm the report Of tho commission
Tho plans OF the company remained In allegiance Tor
u long time and Judge Bond and bis friends witnarew
from tho company. But before the charter expired
new capital was secured and the company was re-
organized A new fOrm OF structure was adopted
tho chief ob!octloa at first being to the plans for
building the road and work was begun In 1883 By
LAYING few foundation stones at CIand-aVc' ana
Fulton-st. This work was stopped by tho CITY Oh
the ground that the consent of tho local authorities
had not been secured EfoIts had been Increasingly
inadO to Obtain the consent Oh mo OMucIs VI tHo
requisite two-thirds of tho property I'm the street to
hermit the building of the road: and when this had
boon accomplished the Aldermen and Mayor gave
their consent. The first span of the structure was
put I'D at FultOn-st and Boerum place, In orier To
secure that point whee it was expected that rival
company would try 10 cross and then an Injunction
stopped tho work. This was the beginning OF
long litigation the rights remaining to tho COM
pauy which was finally settled few months ago b.
the decision OF tho court OF Appeals, sustaining all
tho rights clalrcd by tho corporation.
Another era In the history Of rapid transit had
begun before this result attained. Mayor Whitney
bad 10 sooner taken tho relns OF government from
Mayor Low than a humber of Democratic politicians
determined to secure control Of the elevated railroad
business In tho city A commission was appointed
by tho Mayor, which laid out routes substantially tho
same az those originally assigned To the Kings County
Company with the addition VI ore I'm 1atbush and
Fifth avos. IN South Brooklyn The pady consent OF
the Aldermen secured, and the new corporation
waited for the decision Of the Court of Appeals to give
It control OF all the rapid transit interests IN the chief
streets OF tie city. But that decision In favor Of
the rival corporation, and the Union Company then
cast about for new method of getting control over
lures we're made to the Brooklyn Company whose one
llre was not profitable and which had no chance "
extend I'm any direction; and a consolidation of In
tercsts was effected. The Union Company began Its
work last winter by putting down foundations in Flat
bush-avo from Fulton-st to Atlanuc-avc., and the
first spans put up at the crossings VI those two
streets. IN order to secure prior rights.
Now both tho Kings County and tho Union Com
panles are pushing the work of building their roads
With a. much rapdty a. possible. The former,
uuder the management OF General James JOuIdan, has
laid all the foundations for s superstucturo Ia Full
onst from the City Hall to the OLD boundary between
tho city and East New-York whore Its route first
terminated The Iron work has boon erected on these
foundations from and-avc westward for half mile,
and Fabush-ave Will soon be reached AT this point
a compromise has been made with the Union Company
which hal seized this strategic point and put up part
OF its structure. In order to avoid crossing a!
rade and tie consequent danger to trains, tho Kings
county road Will go the other, and by so doing
will lessen the grade needed for the ascent of tho hill
in Fulton-st Tho structure put up by tho Union |
Company will be lowered few feet, 50 that the height
Of the upper road win not exceed thirty five feet from
tho street
The work Of foundation laying from the City Hall
to Fulton Ferry Is going rapidly forward and VIII
be complctod by september /. The company expects
to bavo trains running from the city Hall 10 Grand
ave by December 1, and tho rolling stock has been
ordered to be ready In October The putting up Of
iron work has been somewhat delayed by the failure
to receive places requisite for certain points but
the cause OF this delay Is now obViated. hugo |
travelling derrick spans the strcecar tracks and sup
ports the machinery needed a raise tho columns and
rders: SO that street-car travel Is not interrupted
while the work done. Then another derrick follows
ON TOD Of tho structure and hosts the remaining ron
work. With these contrivances the structure can DO
built at the rate Of two blocks day, but TINS speed
l. seldom attained because OF unforeseen delays
Tho Union Company Is equally active In urging
foys I'd the work on Its lines. Foundations have been
,a,d from parh-ave., where connection IS made With
the present limo of the Brooklyn Company, In Hudson
and Elatbush ayes. to Ffth-ave, and will be put down
In the last named street at rapid Iato This route
viii be from the Bridge to Greenwood Cemetery and
connections will be made with tic Long Island Ra'i
rnad tho Manhattan Beach road, the Prospect Park
and Coney Island road a1d the Brooklyn Bath and
est End road the" last three running to Coney
island The Kings County road Will connect with the
BnchtOn Beach rOad ut tho Bedford station, and with
Inc Manhattan Beach road at tao East New-fork
station. 81,
The Union Company Is also at work putting in
foundations and erecting the supcrstructmo Tor two